feed food preferences adults

Stoneflies live on all continents, except Antarctica. They are also found on most larger islands except Cuba, Fiji, Hawaii, and New Caledonia. There are approximately two thousand species of stoneflies worldwide, with about six hundred in the United States and Canada.

The adults of some species feed on algae (AL-jee), lichen (LIE-kuhn), pollen, or nectar, but the food preferences of most species are still unknown. Some adults apparently do not feed at all. The larvae feed on living and dead plant or animal materials. Some species shift their food preferences from one food group to another as they mature.

Additional Topics

Adult stoneflies are brown, black, green, or yellow and are usually marked with distinctive light or dark patterns. Their bodies are somewhat flattened with legs outstretched to the sides. They range in length from 0.19 to 1.97 inches (5 to 50 millimeters). The broad head is equipped with compound eyes that have more than one lens each, with simple eyes with only one lens, and with chewing mouthpa…

In North America and Europe male and female stoneflies usually find one another by joining in mating swarms near streams and rivers. Males and females locate one another through a complex series of vibration signals known as drumming. These signals are attractive only to individuals of the same species. Stoneflies drum by tapping, rubbing, or scraping their abdomens on a rock or log. Other species…

Four species of stoneflies are listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). One is listed as Extinct, or no longer living; two are listed as Vulnerable, or facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The fourth species lacks sufficient information to determine the chances of it becoming extinct. Habitat destruction caused by development, logging, and other man-made or natural events that chang…

Physical characteristics: The giant salmonfly is a large stonefly measuring 1.18 to 1.97 inches (30 to 50 millimeters) in length, with a wingspan of 2.25 to 3.25 inches (58 to 84 millimeters). They are dark brown, with a reddish line down the middle of their midsection. The larvae have branched gills under the first two abdominal segments. These gills are reduced to small stubs in the adults. Geog…

Citing this material

Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.

Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.